


Starting Over

by lookingforsomethingnew



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Divorce, F/M, Flatmate - Freeform, Friendship, Romance, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-24
Updated: 2018-05-24
Packaged: 2019-05-13 11:50:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 12,227
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14748309
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lookingforsomethingnew/pseuds/lookingforsomethingnew
Summary: Navigating a divorce, Harry moves in with his friend and colleague Hermione Granger. While dealing with a pending divorce/separation, Harry must deal with an at-large Death Eater, helping raise his godson, and the rising of unexpected feelings towards his new flatmate. All rights belong to JK Rowling.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I originally posted this story on Fanficiton.net, but I decided to post it here as well. This story is not yet complete, but I'm hoping to add more chapters in the near future. Please, feel free to comment. Reviews help me know whether or not this story is worth continuing. Also, I wrote this chapter an odd 5 years ago, so there's no promise that the first chapters are going to be good. But, I would love if you stuck with it. I promise it gets better.

A frustrated Harry walked into the Auror office he shared with one of his best friends; Hermione Grange. The witch automatically took notice to her friend's, now common, behaviour.

"Another fight with Ginny?" She guessed.

Harry sighed, "You have no idea," he replied, "I'm honestly thinking about getting a divorce."

"Good thing you haven't had any children yet" commented Hermione while helping Harry with his coat.

"Thanks," responded Harry to the small gesture. "You'll never guess what the fight was about this time!" Harry said sarcastically.

Rolling her eyes, Hermione took a wild guess and say; children."

"You bet!" Harry replied.

The chocolate-eyed witch sighed, "You do realize that Ron's going to kill you when he finds you're going to get a divorce with his little sister"

Harry gave a hearty laugh "I'll get killed if I stay with Ginny any longer, so either way, I'm a dead man. But seriously, when I married Ginny, I thought she got over the fact that I'm the 'boy-who-lived, twice', but oh no! It seems that the only reason she married me was for that reason! Every time we go out in public when cameras are around, she's all sweet and caring, but when they're gone she yells at me for somehow embarrassing her in front of the paparazzi or for some other stupid reasons!"

Harry was getting really worked up, his face was red, he was pacing, and his hands were clenched. Hermione silently walked over to him, and stopped his pacing by putting her hands on his shoulders, looking him in the eye Hermione said "If you're not happy with your current life… why don't you try and start over?"

Harry looked at her for a couple of seconds, thinking about what she just said, "And no I do not mean using a time-turner," Hermione added as if knowing what he was thinking. 

Sighing, Harry grabbed Hermione's waist and engulfed her in a huge hug. Immediately Hermione hugged back, it was almost like it was a second nature for her now. With all that they have been through together, hugging Harry had become apart of her everyday life, but now that he was married, the hugs became few.

"Thanks" Harry practically whispered into her hair. 

Smiling in content, Hermione pulled back a little, "No one can make decisions for you, Harry. What you do in life is up to you," she exclaimed.

Harry smiled back at the shorter brunette, in agreement. For the rest of the day, Harry seemed to be in a remarkably better mood, he smiled more, and he was a bit more enthusiastic about everything. Now if only that happiness could have lasted to when he got home...


	2. Chapter 2

When Harry got home later that night he found Ginny in the bedroom, getting dressed up. She was wearing a dark green dress that complimented her features nicely. 

“Hey hun, what’s with the fancy dress?” he asked, curiously. 

Almost as if she hadn’t heard his comment, the redhead turned around and exclaimed, almost as if she was surprised, “Oh great, you’re home! We’re having dinner tonight with the Minister, so I need you to get changed into those dress-robes,” 

Harry looked at the midnight-black robes his wife was pointing at and sighed, “Gin, we had dinner with the Minister less than a week ago, why don’t we stay in and have a home-cooked meal for once?”

Ginny looked at him, the expression on her face made it appear as though he insulted her, “Harry! This is the Minister of Magic we’re talking about! We can’t just refuse his invitations. It’d be bad publicity” Raising her eyebrows at him, Ginny continued, “Besides, I just bought this new dress, and it’d be a shame to not wear it.”

Rolling his eyes, Harry continued his argument “Ginny, we see Kingsley every day at work, and we haven’t been home for a meal in at least two months, now.”

Ginny started fuming, “Harry, I am going to this dinner with or without you. You can either join me or stay home!” 

The redheaded girl stormed out the room, refusing to look behind at her husband. Anger was boiling inside of her; how come he couldn’t understand what these things meant to her? These dinners made her feel like she wasn’t just another Weasley kid; she meant something. But her husband was holding her back from that. She wanted to show Ron that he wasn’t the only famous Weasley, but Harry just wanted a normal life. ‘Why have the fame when you’re just going to waste it’ she thought to herself, or at least she thought it was in her head…

Harry yelled to her, “If you feel that way, why don’t we just get a divorce? How ‘bout that? You can do whatever you want without me, ‘holding you back’! What’s the point of being married to me if you don’t even love me?! Fame?! Is that all I’m good at? Sharing my fame with you? Well, you can sure as hell have it!” If Ginny was mad, then Harry was over the top, no anger could even compare to what he was feeling right now.

Turning towards him, in shock, Ginny’s jaw dropped. “B-b-but what about all of the good times we’ve had, and what about starting a family? You-Know-Who’s gone.” Ginny’s attitude just went bipolar, fuming mad to confusion, in less than a second.

“Yes, Ginny, VOLDEMORT’s gone, but his followers aren’t. And you know that’s why we can’t start a family! And those ‘good times’ are only in front of the camera. That’s the only time we don’t fight!” Harry exclaimed, very loudly for that matter. Suddenly, the green-eyed wizard felt like a huge weight was lifted off of his shoulders.

Ginny glared at him, “Fine,” she said, with venom dripping off, “If you want a divorce, we’ll get a divorce. But it’s your loss. Not mine.” And after that, she disapparated to who knows where. Rolling his eyes, Harry turned around and started packing up his stuff. Ginny could have the house for all he cared.


	3. Chapter 3

The next day, at work, a smiling Harry greeted Hermione… He was already at his desk working on their latest case.

“What has put Mr. Potter in such a good mood this morning?” Hermione jokingly asked, smiling as she hung her coat up on the hanger behind her desk.

Curious about what seemed to be the reason for Harry’s happiness; she raised an eyebrow at him. Harry continued smiling, and responded, “Well Miss Granger, it appears that Ginny has agreed to the divorce!” 

The papers Hermione was now sorting feel on the floor, out of all the things she expected, that wasn’t one of them. Sure she’d expected them to get a divorce, but not this soon. Harry only brought up the subject yesterday! 

Turning towards him, the brunette's jaw had dropped, “Really?” she exclaimed in happiness.

“Yeah” he replied smiling.

For the first time in a long time, Harry’s smile reached his eyes. He truly was content. Excitedly, the witch gave Harry a huge hug.

“That’s great!” 

Almost immediately she let go, “How are you going to tell the Weasleys?” Hermione questioned with obvious concern.

Harry chuckled at his friend’s reaction, she was always the one to see the bigger picture, “Honestly, I have no idea how. It’s definitely not going to be easy. But right now, that doesn’t matter. All that matters is that I’ll soon be divorced and I won’t have to worry about being pressured into having children in the near future.” 

Looking at Harry, Hermione truly realizes how grown-up her best friend had become…the divorce was just another bump in the road for him. And soon, like every other bump, he would be over it and live his life for those who couldn’t. 

……………………………………..

The day passed quickly, the friends and co-workers being able to work easily without the weight of a bad marriage on their shoulders. At the end of the day, Harry was putting papers into his briefcase when he remembered that he no longer had a place to stay.

“What’s up, Harry?” Hermione yawned, walking into their joint office. The distress was evident on Harry’s face, and the young woman could see it through her exhaustion.

Sighing, Harry asked timidly, “Could you do me a huge favour?” 

Closing the report she had previously been reading, Hermione responded with tired curiosity, “What do you need?”

“I know this is sudden and you’ve had a long day, but I really need a place to stay for a while, I gave the house to Ginny, and now I don’t have a place to stay. So I was wondering if it’s all right with you if I stayed at your place?” the wizard questioned.“But you know, just until I got a place of my own, or when the divorce is finalized, whichever comes first. I don’t want to impose or anything, but staying with Ron would be completely awkward considering. And he just got married. I could stay at a hotel if you wanted, but I don’t really want to attract the attention of the paparazzi.” 

By now, Harry was clearly nervous about what Hermione was going to say. He was using his hands to talk, more than normal and he was rambling, trying to explain why he was asking. It was quickly turning into a disaster, “The Weasleys are also out of the question because, well, you know. Andromeda took over Grimmauld Place with Teddy and I don’t want to…” 

Clearly tired, Hermione started walking towards her co-worker, “Harry” Hermione exclaimed, cutting off Harry’s rambling by putting a hand on his shoulder. “You can stay at my flat…it won’t be a problem, and no you won’t be imposing.” Yawning, the witch pulled away to start packing her reports. It had been a while since anyone had stayed with her at her flat, so the company was appreciated. 

Harry sighed in relief, “Thank you so much, Hermione!” 

The brunette simply smiled at the raven-haired man. After they had both finished up their organizing, they headed towards the fireplace. 

“Wait,” Hermione said, having clearly been woken up a bit by her thoughts, “The divorce will soon be leaked to the press no doubt, and considering the divorce isn’t final, won’t it look bad if the press found out you were staying at my place?” the witch was now pacing, all possibilities running through her head, “I mean, not that we’re doing anything to raise questions, but they are the press. I know Skeeter is gone and all…but Harry, won’t this affect how you’re seen…” 

“Hermione!” Harry exclaimed, watching his friend run herself into a frenzy for the millionth time. “We’ll just have to take things one day at a time, now won’t we?” smiling. 

The young man definitely did not want his friend to suffer because of his divorce; he had already put her through so much during Hogwarts and was still trying to repay that debt now. A couple minutes passed, both thinking of what they could do. 

Suddenly Harry’s vibrant green eyes light up, “I have an idea! I could apparate to and from work every day, considering they monitor your floo. I won’t go out in public, well at least, I’ll apparate to my house before I do, so it seems like I’m still living there…” 

“Why didn’t I think of that?” Hermione questioned herself, “You know what, sure, that’ll work…” she exclaimed, at this point not exactly caring all she wanted was to go home and sleep. 

Through her exhaustion, she still worried whether Harry would be okay with the arrangements, even though he had been the one to offer them. Seeing his friend’s distress, grabbed her hand and apparated them to her flat. 

They arrived almost instantly after their departure from the Ministry, to the young witch’s flat. The apparition seemed to have woken Hermione right up “Harry!”  
Still holding on to her hand, Harry started leading the woman to her room. 

“What?” he questioned jokingly, “have I done anything wrong?” Looking down, waiting for her response, Harry saw that Hermione was starting to doze off again.

“Shouldn’t you have gone home first?” the witch asked, rubbing her tired eyes, “I mean…” 

“Go rest, Hermione,” Harry pushed her towards her room, seeing as though she had almost toppled over in exhaustion. 

“Gladly” she yawned, as she walked towards her room.

It had been a long day at work and the chocolate-eyed witch practically begging for sleep. The moment Hermione’s head hit the pillow she was asleep. 

The emerald-eyed wizard chuckled silently, as he watched the witch begin to snore. Now that Hermione was fast asleep in her room, Harry began looking around the flat that he would now, technically, be living in. It was a reasonable size; one bathroom; two bedrooms, including Hermione’s; a good size kitchen; an office, which was practically a library; and a living room. The flat was clearly Hermione’s; there were bookshelves everywhere, filled to the top with thick books. Looking at the time, Harry decided to start dinner; it was the least he could do for Hermione at the moment. The ingredients were few in the fridge, so Harry decided to make rice and curry. It took a while for Harry to adjust to the kitchen, but soon after he has started, he felt right at home. Moving with ease around the kitchen, Harry realized how much he actually missed cooking. Being married to Ginny meant that she always did the cooking, and would refuse to let him anywhere near the stove if her offered to help. And on the rare occasion that he was allowed to cook, she always shot him down, saying the food was terrible. Cooking for Hermione had a different feel. He wasn’t afraid of his cooking skills being insulted and he felt as though he could try anything he wanted. 

Stirring the curry in the saucepan, memories of the Dursleys entered Harry’s train of thought. It had been many years since he interacted with them. He wondered if they had changed at all. Dudley would definitely be different, mused the green-eyed wizard. At this age, his cousin was probably in College studying. ‘I wonder what he wants to become’ Harry thought, ‘maybe a guidance counsellor’. The thought almost made Harry laugh out loud. Dudley, the child bully, growing up to help the victims of bullying…yeah right. But then again, he hadn’t seen him in many years. ‘For all I know, he could be on the road to becoming an astronaut’ thought the wizard, as he started adding the chicken to the curry sauce. ‘I wonder what happened to Aunt Petunia…has she changed at all?’ he questioned, ‘Are her and Vernon still together?’ So many thoughts of his previous family members ran through Harry’s head. ‘I should probably reconnect with them’ Harry decided, coming to the conclusion that things could be different. Lost in his thought, Harry snapped back to reality when the timer went off, signalling that the rice was finished cooking. 

After draining the rice, the wizard scooped it into a serving bowl and placed it on the table with the rest of the food. Once the table was set, the wizard went to wake up his, now flat-mate. 

‘Wow,’ Harry pondered with a smile, ‘it may take time for that new label to settle in.’ 

…………………..

Hermione slowly drifted awake, not really wanting to get up though in her warm state. Feeling a cool hand rubbing her back, the witch opened her eyes to see who it was. Looking up, she saw a set of vibrant green eyes. 

“Mmm,” she hummed, “ just a few more minutes” she exclaimed groggily, rolling back into her warm covers. 

The man above her chuckled, “Supper’s ready though,” He responded quietly. 

Reopening her eyes, Hermione propped herself on her elbow, silently sniffing the air. 

“Is that what smells so good?” she asked, turning her head to look at Harry, who was now propped on his own elbow behind her. 

He gave a sheepish grin, “Yeah, I made curry. It was the least I could do.” 

Now fully awake, Hermione scrambled out of her bed, “You didn’t have to do that!” she exclaimed, “You should have just woken me up!” 

Harry fully sat up, grabbing his frantic friend’s hands, “Hermione,” he said, pulling her down to sit on the bed beside him, “It’s fine,” he smiled, “I was happy to do it.” 

The witch looked up at him from beneath her long lashes, “But you shouldn’t have had to…” she sighed, “You’re my guest. I’m supposed to take care of you.” 

Pushing back a couple, of the many, loose strands of Hermione’s hair, Harry smiled, “It’s fine, I promise. Now come on,” the wizard exclaimed happily, “before the meal gets cold!” 

Giving a small smile, Hermione let herself be pulled up by the excited man. “Alright,” she said, “but I’m in charge of supper tomorrow.” 

“Deal,” Harry said, the two now smiling at one another.


	4. Chapter 4

Harry pulled out Hermione’s chair, indicating his excitement for her to try the meal he made. Hermione chuckled at his enthusiasm. 

“Alright! Alright!” She cried, walking out of the bedroom.

“Why thank you, kind sir,” Hermione joked as she sat down, the smile never leaving her face. 

“You’re very welcome milady” Harry replied, laughing at the silliness of the situation. Sitting down across from her, he started serving up the food.

“This really does smell delicious,” the brunet complimented, as Harry passed her a bowl of the curry.

Harry just smiled at her.

Sitting in comfortable silence the pair enjoyed their meal, neither spoke until they finished eating. Hermione couldn’t help but look up at Harry every so often, studying his character. She knew her best friend, after twelve years of friendship she knew him better than she knew herself. The situation at hand was not something Harry had faced before, so silently, she watched to make sure he was okay. There was no crease in his forehead, no hollow glare in his eyes, and his shoulders weren’t hunched. Hermione relaxed a little, noting that he was dealing with life well enough. This, though, didn’t stop the little voice in the back of her head telling her to keep her eyes open. 

Unfortunately, Hermione wasn’t keeping her eyes open enough, otherwise, she wouldn’t have missed Harry staring at her. He too was concerned for his friend; he had sprung a lot of information on her in such a short period of time and she had to adjust her life to help him…again. Guilt crept up into Harry’s chest, he could never repay Hermione for all that she had done for him. Being tortured, putting her life in danger, and losing her parents all so that she could help him on his mission. Harry remembers the day as though it were yesterday. Hermione decided that she was going to find her parents in Australia and nothing was going to stop her. She had only graduated from Hogwarts the day before, but her mind was made up. Refusing to let her go alone, Harry and Ron tagged along. It had taken them months to track them down, finally finding them in a little apartment above a bookstore. Their months of searching turned out to be for naught, as none of them were able to undo Hermione’s spell. No potion or memory curse in the world could remove the look on Hermione's face at that moment from Harry’s mind; Hermione, after one final attempt, looked at her parents with eyes full of forgotten memories, turned around, and disapparated to their motel. Ron was about to disapparate after her before Harry stopped him. Sharing a look, they had both decided to walk back, giving their friend time to herself. When they got back, they found Hermione sobbing on the floor of her room. Her curls were everywhere, hot tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks, sobs racked her body, and her limbs weren’t able to support her. In that instant, Harry knew that nothing he could ever do would be enough for his friend. The two wizards had helped her up to her bed, both tucking her in before leaving for their room. Harry had stayed behind an extra second to softly press his lips to her warm forehead. None of the three had talked about that day since.

Snapping out of his memory, Harry looked up from his dish to find Hermione looking at him. Feeling as though she could see right through him, Harry gave her a small smile and returned to his meal. This seemed to be enough for the witch, as she didn’t ask any questions as to why he zoned out. 

Once the two were full and feeling warm, they started clearing the table, still in their comfortable silence. 

“You don’t have to do this, you know,” remarked Hermione, breaking the silence, “you did make the meal and you’re the guest.”

“I know,” was her only response.  
Raising her chin to give her the appearance of more height, Hermione stopped in her tracks. “Harry Potter!” she declared, “you go sit down, right now!” 

Harry couldn’t help but laugh at Hermione’s stance; her hands were balled into little fists, her bottom lip was out a tiny bit more than normal, and she was glaring at him with her McGonagall stare. She was at least half a foot shorter than him, so looking down at Hermione reminded him of a very stubborn child. 

“I am fine with helping clean up, Hermione. Honestly.”

“I don’t care! You are my guest and you already made dinner, so sit down!” Hermione crossed her arms, and if looks could kill Harry would be dead on the floor. 

Harry met her look with one of his own, his eyebrows lifted and his eyes questioning. They stood like this for a few seconds, waiting to see who would break first. A tiny giggle floated from Hermione’s mouth, leading to a full-on laugh from both the wizards. Both of their bodies shook with uncontrollable laughter. Looking back at that moment, Harry wouldn’t be able to say what caused them to laugh as hard as they did, but he could say that he hadn’t felt so carefree in a long time. Maybe it was due to their childish actions, the way Hermione stomped her foot like a toddler but whatever it was, it didn’t matter for both of them headed into the dining room with big smiles on their faces. 

One controlling her laughter, Hermione bumped Harry with her shoulder, “I don’t want you to clean up, go pick a movie or something, you’re my guest and I refuse to let you do so much work.”

Giving a nudge back, the wizard rolled his emerald eyes.

“I’m serious, you are no longer allowed in my kitchen,” remarked Hermione, with conviction. 

Harry put his hands up in mock surrender, “Fine,” a smile still on his face, “but you can’t stop me from helping forever!”

Turning towards the living room, Harry let out another laugh. Watching as Harry bent down to look at her, incredibly well organized, movie collection, Hermione rolled her eyes at Harry’s childish response. 

…………………..

“Have you contacted a lawyer yet?” 

The question woke Harry from his daze. As captivating as The Matrix was, and it really was, the question was not something Harry had expected to hear. 

“My lawyer? For what, the divorce?”

“Well yeah,” came Hermione’s response. She was sitting on her favourite armchair, tucked into a little ball with a mug of tea in her hands, “you kind of need one to help you with everything…you know, drawing up the papers, dividing up property…all that stuff.”

Pausing the movie Harry got up from his lying position on the couch. Rubbing his eyes, “yeah, I was going to contact her tomorrow. Why? Should I be doing this now?” Harry’s voice, rough from sleep, questioned. 

“I mean it’s all up to you. But, keep in mind you’ll have to go through that time of separation before the divorce can be finalized.” Hermione, ever the rational voice inside his head, reminded him, “And do you really want to give up that house? You and Ginny spent so long saving for it…”

The memory flashed before both of their eyes, Harry had refused to use his parents’ money on himself. He had wanted to be a self-sufficient man who could provide for his family. Deciding that it would be better to buy their house with their own money, Harry and Ginny had spent a long year working for the money for their supposed dream house. 

“I think I’ll survive. Besides, I don’t need that big of a house anyway.”

Hermione considered his response for a bit, “But what about Teddy? Where will you live when he’s bigger? He won’t stay small forever. Besides, Andromeda isn’t going to be able to keep up with him that much longer.”

The two shared a look, Andromeda might be considered young in the wizarding world, but at the age of 51 taking care of a 5-year-old was no cakewalk. There was no doubt in either of their minds that Andromeda would be happy to take care of Teddy for many more years, but Harry was the boy’s godfather, and he would be damned if he wasn’t there to give that boy a father-figure. 

“I…” Harry hadn’t thought about that before, “I guess I’ll have to start looking for a small house with a big backyard.” 

“What about Potter Manor?” Hermione got up from her seat, placed her mug on the coffee table and sat beside the wizard.

Harry let out a small bark of a laugh, “Nothing about that place is small, Hermione.”

He continued to look down, unable to meet her eyes. His shoulders were hunched and his elbows were resting on his knees. Distress coursed through his chest. When Harry had decided that he wanted a divorce, he hadn’t stopped to consider what the aftermath of the situation would be. There was no doubt that he could afford a new place and a decent place at that. He had enough money so he could live comfortably for the rest of his life, without lifting a finger, if he wanted to. But, he didn’t. It didn’t seem fair to him that he lives in wealth and luxury when there were kids out in the world barely getting by. After the battle of Hogwarts, he had decided that if he were to ever use the Potter inheritance, it would be to help kids in need. For five years he had kept that promise.

Rubbing his scar, out of habit, Harry finally looked up, “I’ll think of something, don’t worry. There’re loads of places around here, I’ll be able to buy something in no time.”

Accepting his response, Hermione rested her head against the back of Harry’s shoulder. Sighing, she started rubbing her hand up and down his back, in hopes to comfort him. Still hunched over, Harry relaxed his muscles a bit. Though the reality of the situation had just set in, he felt comfortable knowing that he had Hermione’s support. Though they had never spoken those words out loud, a silent agreement was made that no matter what happened in the next couple of months, they would stand by each other.

………………

Harry’s eyes were shut, his glasses have fallen off his face at one point in the night. Rolling over, he tried to grasp whatever warmth was left in the pillow beside him. Unfortunately for him, the moment he was able to grab the pillow of warmth, his comforter was ripped off of him. 

“Harry! Get up!” 

Blinking his eyes, trying to regain some focus, Harry slowly sat up, keeping the pillow close to his chest. “Whaddayawant.” 

His words came out in one stream, his half-sleep state preventing him from making a comprehensible sentence. 

Feeling the mattress for his glasses, Harry’s brain finally caught up with what was happening. Hermione stood at the edge of the bed, ready for the workday, her deep purple robe neatly in place, with his comforter in her hands. It wasn’t until Harry put on his glasses that he was able to see the look she was shooting him. The only word he could use to describe such a face was exasperation.

“Harry! You have to get up! You’re going to be late!” Throwing the comforter back on the bed, Hermione went over to the reading chair, in the corner of the room. “I know you have yet to pick any clothing up, but I was able to pick up a new one for you this morning after my run, so hopefully it will work.” 

Picking up the robe she had laid for him, she turned around to hand it to her new flatmate. Having expected him to have at least gotten out of bed at that point, she let out another exasperated “Harry!” when she found he was still sitting on the bed. 

“Okay! Okay! I’m up!” Harry exclaimed with a laugh, getting out of the bed. 

“Thank you for the robe, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” 

“Just hurry up and get dressed.” 

Hermione handed the emerald robe to Harry with force and stormed out of the room.

“I will block the floo to the ministry if you don’t hurry up!” she said over her shoulder.

Harry heard the small tone of seriousness in her remark, but he couldn’t help but also hear the bit of amusement in her expression.

Letting out a small laugh in return, Harry began to change into his new robe.


	5. Chapter 5

The atmosphere in the office was comforting to Harry. With all of the changes that had been happening around him in the past couple of weeks, the consistency of work put him at ease. The lack of sightings was a little concerning, but Harry felt confident in the department’s ability to extinguish situations before they got too out of hand. 

A knocking on the door halted Harry from reading the next page of his file. With no new sightings to go off of, Harry and Hermione had been spending their time reviewing previous cases and lacklustre sightings. 

“Come on in.” called out Hermione from her desk, never looking up from her file. 

Harry rose from his seat as the Minister entered the room. “Minister!” he greeted in shock, “We weren’t expecting you until later this week for the monthly report.”

Kingsley motioned for Harry to sit, “I’m not here on business.”

“So if this is a personal call, that must mean...”

“Your absence did not go unnoticed at dinner a while back, Harry,” Kingsley confirmed Hermione’s suspicions. 

Harry looked sheepish, rubbing the back of his neck. The files on his desk became suddenly that much more noteworthy. Unable to look his boss in the eyes, he mumbled, “Well, you see…there was this thing…I had to…you know…”

“Enough, Harry,” interrupted Kingsley, “Ginny explained what happened.”

The room fell silent, neither Harry nor Hermione could find the words to fill the silence. Hermione’s mouth opened a couple times in attempt, but no words came out. The minister walked over to Harry’s desk and leaned against the edge with his arms crossed. Harry stared at him for a couple more seconds before blurting out, “What exactly did she tell you?” 

A sigh escaped the older man’s lips, “Just that things weren’t working out for you two, that you were unhappy, and that a divorce was being drawn up.”

Harry’s jaw dropped. That sounded so mature and very much, unlike the last conversation he had had with his wife.   
“Those exact words?”

“Well…not exactly,” Kingsley stated, standing to turn and face the wizard. “But, nothing too harsh was said.”

Harry nodded in understanding, mutely. 

Hermione stood up from her desk, coming around to stand beside the two wizards. “Is she okay?” she questioned, placing her hand on Harry’s shoulder in support. 

Kingsley’s eyes shifted between the pair, silently questioning them with a raised eyebrow. 

“Ms. Weasley is coping, I just came to check on Harry here. I waited a while to give him some time to process, but I finally had time in my schedule to come down and see how things were going.”

Harry was still having trouble forming a sentence but he was able to cough out a, “I’m fine.” 

“What Harry means is, he’s working through it.” Supplied Hermione, casting Harry a concerned look. 

Satisfied, for now, the Minister turned towards the door. 

“Let me know if you need anything. I know divorces can be tricky, but if there’s anything you need let me know. Taking a couple days off work to sort things out might help.” And with that, he left.

Harry released a breath he hadn’t realized he’d been holding. Blinking a couple times, he tried to bring his thoughts back into focus. 

“Did that really just happen?”

His only response was a squeeze on his shoulder where Hermione’s hand still rested. 

“How am I going to tell the Weasley’s if I can’t even tell someone who already knows?”

“You know you don’t have to do it alone. Ginny is going to have to tell them too.” Ever the rationalist, Hermione’s words eased some of the tension in Harry’s chest. Looking down at his files again, Harry started piling them into his carrying case. “I’m going to meet with the lawyer now, then I’m going to head to your flat, if that’s okay?”

Hermione gave him a small smile, “Let me know how the meeting goes?”

“Of course.” Harry chuckled, disapparating. 

 

Looking around, Harry took in the street he had apparated to. He had only been here a handful of times before but never had he come alone. It was a gloomy street, filled with different businesses run from the houses. It was a wizarding community, but the normalcy of the houses made it easily mistakable for a Muggle street. The sign outside the house read Madame DeLemme’s Law Practice, since 1983. The house itself was old but sturdy. The shutters were a deep shade of maroon and the door was straight black, the steps up to the house were cracked from use, and the bushes and trees were well kept. 

Gathering his courage, Harry started up the steps towards the dark door. 

The opening hallway was nothing like the outside of the house. Inside gave a warm, homey feeling. Candles floated in the air, much like the Great Hall in Hogwarts, portraits of influential lawyers lined the walls, and there were books floating from room to room, supplying the lawyers with the information they needed. The place was bustling with energy, surprising for a law firm. 

“Ah, Monsieur Potter! I have been expecting you.” 

Startled, Harry looked up to find Madame DeLemme standing in front of the secretary’s desk. She was a middle-aged woman with greying hair, though very much still a dirty blonde, laugh lines starting to form around her lips and eyes, and blue eyes that sparkled with life and eagerness to work. Draped in lilac robes, Harry’s lawyer was poised and the perfect image of professional. 

“I don’t understand,” stuttered Harry, “I just came by to set up an appointment…I had nothing set up…”

“You might not have set something up, but I have your wife in my office right now asking for separation papers.”

Arching her perfectly done eyebrow at the younger man, Madame DeLemme started walking towards the back of the room. Processing the information, Harry quickly followed the witch. 

Inside the office, Ginny was standing near the window that overlooked the small backyard. The plum cloak she wore seemed to swim around her and her hair was not pulled into its elegant up-do that it normally adorned but let loose and messy. 

“Gin-“ Harry started when he saw his wife. 

“Don’t,” stated Ginny, wiping the tears from her cheeks. It was clear that her walls were up and that she was unwilling to talk about what was happening. Today’s version of Ginny was very different from the one he argued with the other day. 

Madame DeLemme stood behind her desk, observing the couple’s interaction, or lack thereof. 

“You are here for separation papers, yes?” The woman asked, French accent heavy. 

“Yes.”

“No.”

The two answers overlapped, Ginny gave Harry a questioning look. 

“Well? Which is it?” questioned the lawyer.

“No.” stated Harry, “We’re not here for separation papers, we’re here for divorce papers.” 

“That’s not going to happen,” implemented Ginny, turning towards DeLemme while sitting down on the couch in front of the desk. “We don’t need a divorce, all we need is some time of separation to work things out.”

“We aren’t going to work things out, Ginny,” relented Harry, “Things are too broken to be fixed.”

The two glared at each other, neither giving up their position. 

“We can make it work, it’s you and I Harry. This is just a little bump in the road.” 

“Like Hell, it’s just a bu-“ Harry’s voice rose.

“Merci! The both of you! But I have other clients here who do not want to listen to you argue!” Interrupted their lawyer with a stern voice. Harry was brought back to Hogwarts, feeling as though McGonagall was scolding him again. 

“Before either of you move forward with this, a petition for divorce needs to be filed. Have either of you done this?”

Shaking their heads, DeLemme sighed at the response. 

“Well, I will reconvene with the both of you when that has happened.”

“Wait! No!” spurted out Ginny, “I’m not looking for a divorce, only a separation!” Ginny rose from her seat in anger. 

“Then you can apply for one with your court clerk Mademoiselle Weasley,” explained the older woman, “the same with you Monsieur Potter. But, for now, there is nothing I can do for you until you have applied. If a decision isn’t made before filing, we will discuss the options and the possibility of court.”

Harry stood there in shock. This was definitely not how he had planned for his day to go. 

Fuming, Ginny stormed by Harry to the door, knocking shoulders with him on her way by. 

“Wait, Ginny!” Harry called after the redhead in hopes to talk to her. Realizing she wasn’t going to stop, Harry turned to chase after her while yelling a “Merci Madame!” behind his shoulder. 

“Ginny!” Harry raced down the steps into the street, where Ginny was taking the invisibility charm off of her broom. 

“What?” Ginny let out in anger, “What do you want Harry? Can’t you see that I want to be left alone?!”   
Stopping in front of her, Harry sighed. “I just…I want to talk. I don’t want to fight with you about this, because I still love you, Ginny. I will always love you, but I’m no longer in love with you. I want for us to part on good terms instead of wanting to kill each other.”

Ginny released her breath, “Why can’t that be enough? Why can’t love me be enough?” 

“Loving you was never the problem Ginny, but things that we did, or didn’t, were. I can’t give you children right now. I can’t go out in front of all of those cameras and I refuse to have the media be apart of my life. Unfortunately, you loving me seems to be dependent on those things…”

A short and harsh laugh left Ginny’s lips. “You know what type of family I grew up in. You know that I was the last child of seven. I’ve been underestimated my whole life! And now, I’m married to one of the, if not the most notable men in the Wizarding world. I refuse to give that up because of some stupid idea you have that the world isn’t safe enough yet! News flash! The world will always be a dangerous place!”

Having said her piece, Ginny mounted her broom and kicked off without so much as a look towards Harry. 

 

 

Hermione was already home by the time Harry returned to the flat. Instead of apparating, Harry had decided to walk, taking the time to clear his head. The walk took longer than he had anticipated, but he was feeling abundantly better than before. 

Upon entering the kitchen, Harry noticed his friend’s work bag and files scattered over the table. Files about Lucius Malfoy dominated the pile, along with others concerning Fenrir Greyback. Harry took some time to study the files; sightings were reported frequently of the elder Malfoy, but they had never had any hard evidence to bring him in. After being convicted of many charges, Lucius kept a low profile, but that didn’t stop suspicions from rising and people reporting to the Ministry the minute he stepped outside. 

Overall, the messiness of the table surprised Harry. After putting the files in a respectable pile, the wizard started looking around the flat for Hermione. It was evident that she wasn’t in the living room, so he went to check in her room. Unfortunately, the bedroom was also empty. Harry turned towards the library, hopes high. Entering, he saw Hermione curled up in the armchair with a book in hand. 

Hearing the door open, Hermione looked up from her book. 

“Well look who finally decided to show up!” she teased. 

Harry released a slight chuckle, “Yeah, I decided to walk back…kind of needed to clear my head.”

Hermione’s full attention was captured. “Was the meeting that bad?” she questioned while putting her book down. 

“Not exactly.” Harry started, “The meeting wasn’t bad, per say, but it didn’t help that Ginny was there.”

Shocked at the news, Hermione raised her eyebrows. Her silence though encouraged Harry to keep talking, “She doesn’t want to get a divorce. She’s convinced that all we need is a separation for a couple of months, and then we’ll be fine. I also need to submit a petition for divorce, which I just found out, or something along those lines, before we can continue with anything.”

Harry was leaning against the desk in front of Hermione’s armchair, so instead of saying anything Hermione just reached for his hands to hold. 

Looking at each other, Harry gave a heavy sigh while Hermione’s lips twitched in a slight smile. The two stayed like that for a while, allowing the other person’s presence to be their support. 

“I have some good news,” Hermione broke the silence, ”You’ve received a letter from Andromeda. She was wondering when you wanted to visit or have them visit you. Apparently, Teddy is very excited to show you his new toys.” A smile graced the witches face while talking about Harry’s Godson. She had swiftly become “Aunt ‘Mione” to the younger boy, and she couldn’t have been happier about it. 

Harry smiled back at her enthusiasm. “It’s all up to you. Do you want them to come here and visit? Or do you want to save your house from being torn apart by a child?”

The two laughed at the thought of Teddy running wild around the flat. To say he was an extremely energetic little boy was a complete understatement. He was a never-ending ball of energy who was always prepared to show whoever was near, the newest thing he had discovered. 

“How about you visit them for a day, talk to Andromeda about what’s going on, then we can arrange a weekend or something for Teddy to stay here?” Hermione suggested. 

“I like the way you think,” Harry replied easily, giving her hands a little squeeze before rising from the table. 

“The letter’s in the spare bedroom if you want to read it. Or should I be calling it your bedroom, considering? I mean, you can stay here as long as you need, or would like, so it might as well be…but you don’t pay rent, therefore it’s still my spare bedroom-“

“If I start paying rent, then we can change it, alright?” The wizard laughed at his friend’s babbling, giving her a full smile. 

 

 

Later that night, after dinner, Harry was getting ready for bed in his temporary room. He knew Hermione had been joking about him paying rent, but the thought of living in her home without some sort of indemnification seemed unfair. Deciding not to make any decisions without discussing anything with Hermione, Harry placed his glasses on the bedside table and crawled under the covers of the bed. Trying to shut his brain off, Harry laid there on his back for a while, keeping his eyes shut. When that didn’t work, Harry turned on to his side, curling his body a little closer together, putting his hands under his pillows. Taking a few deep breaths, Harry tried to release all of the tension he gathered from his day. Ten minutes more of no results caused Harry to sigh and turn back on to his back. Running his hands over his face in restlessness, the wizard barely noticed the feeling of cold metal against his face. 

Removing his hand from his face, he looked at the wedding band that rested on his left-hand ring finger. It was strange; this band had meant so much to him before; it held hope for the future, the promise to take care of his wife, the reassurance that they would always love each other… and now it symbolized nothing but a failed marriage. Harry let out another deep breath before removing the ring. His hand suddenly felt a lot lighter, but his chest became a fraction heavier. He knew that going forth was going to be a struggle and that he was going to have many long days and even longer nights. Placing the ring beside his glasses, Harry turned back onto his side, pulling one of the pillows to his chest. The movement caused the fabric to release a scent that could only be classified to Harry as “Hermione.” It was warm and inviting, a soft vanilla sugar with the ever-telling scent of old books. Something about it made Harry feel at ease. Something about it made him feel as though he was home.


	6. Chapter 6

With all of the change that had been happening around him, Harry revelled in the small moments he had to himself. There was talk circling the Auror department that Luscious Malfoy and other escaped Death Eaters were gathering together; normally Harry stayed out of cases that weren’t his own, Fenrir Greyback’s case was getting warmer and there were numerous other Aurors who could cover this case, but an anonymous tip had recently come in with detailed knowledge of the alleged underground gathering of Voldemort’s escaped followers. Harry took this with a grain of salt, but it made him that much more eager to capture the deranged werewolf. 

Along with his thickening case, the divorce process was proving to be a lot more difficult than he had originally anticipated. Mme DeLemme had recently sent him a letter informing him that she and Ginny had both received his Divorce Petition. Unsurprisingly, Ginny was refusing to sign and had filed a Separation Petition in return, which he was due to get via owl any day. The rest of the letter informed him of when he would be hearing from Mme DeLemme in the upcoming month with the date for the court hearing. But, as of now, he was not allowed to leave the country, sell any of their property, or take out any large sums of money. The wizard had yet to decide whether or not this letter had been helpful or a headache.

Looking around his joint office, Harry took a deep breath. Hermione was in the middle of conducting an interrogation at the moment, which allowed him to reorganize this thoughts and concerns without worrying his partner. His eyes, sweeping the room once more, landed on the photo of Tonks, Lupin, and Teddy he kept on his desk. The bubble-gum-pink haired witch was holding the two-week-old Teddy towards her, while Harry’s old professor stood with his arms around them, starring in awe at this wife and child. In the photo, Tonks was making silly faces at the bundle, whose little fists were just visible as he reached up towards his mom. Lupin stood there, the photo capturing the smile that bloomed on his face as he observed his family. Andromeda had been kind enough to supply Harry with a copy of the photo, he now kept in on his desk as a reminder of what he was fighting for. A smile graced his own face as he watched Tonks morph her nose into one of a pig’s and crossed her eyes. She would have been an amazing mum. This thought graced Harry’s mind every so often when he looked at the photo. The same with Lupin, Harry despised the fact that their time as parents had been cut short. It’s not fair, he sighed in frustration. But it never is, part of his brain reminded him, a part that was starting to sound more and more like Hermione. 

The arrival of someone via floo shook Harry from his reminiscing mindset. Standing up to greet whoever the visitor was, Harry was greeted by a fist to his nose. 

“Oof,” Harry staggered back. Regaining his balance, he drew his wand and grasped the neck of his attacker, holding him in place.

“Ron?!” Shocked, Harry pushed the man back. “What the hell was that for?!”

“What do you mean ‘what was that for?’ I come back from my honeymoon, an amazing one at that, to find out that my best mate is divorcing my sister!” The red-head took another step back, massaging his now swollen knuckles. 

Fixing his glasses with a quick “Reparo,” Harry retorted “That doesn’t give you any right to throw a punch!” 

The two wizards glared at each other, letting their anger subside before chancing any conversation. 

Ron lent up first, throwing himself heavily into Hermione’s chair and conjuring a much-needed ice-pack. Nursing his knuckles, he let out a harsh sigh, “I’m sorry. Really. I’m not angry with you specifically, I’m angrier at the situation itself,” Looking up at his friend, he continued “I mean, that’s my baby sister and you’re breaking her heart.”

Harry huffed in understanding, letting his anger at Ron dissipate. “I know.”

No other words seemed appropriate as the two wizards sat in understanding silence. Blood slowly trickled down from Harry’s nose to his lips, almost passing his chin before Ron conjured a rag for him. 

“Thanks,” Harry accepted the floating rag and held it to his nose.

It was that moment Hermione burst through the door with numerous case files in hand and her wand stuck in her bun. The two wizards watched from their respective spots as she went straight to the filing cabinet, muttering words to herself, all without acknowledging her two friends. Glancing at one another, the two wizards silently agreed upon their next move. Looking back at Hermione, they both let out very loud “ahems” in attempt to startle her. 

“Nice try boys,” Hermione deadpanned with her head still facing away from either of them.

“Blimey woman! Every damn time! Does nothing surprise you anymore?”

“Not when it comes to you two Ronald,” replied the witch, a smirk gracing her face as she ushered him out of her chair.

Harry chuckled at his two friends At least this will never change he thought while vanishing his bloody handkerchief.

“Well mate, I have to get going. The Mrs is waiting for me at home, we have a lot of unpacking to do.” Ron clapped Harry on the back in a brotherly hug. “Your nose looks okay. I’m pretty sure it did more damage to my fist than it to your nose.” The two wizards shared a smile. 

“Maybe you should throw a better punch then,” joshed Harry, the incident already forgiven.

Rod barked out a laugh, grabbing a fist full of floo powder, “Maybe I should!”

Nodding at Harry and throwing a playful wink at Hermione, he stepped into the green flames, stating his address. 

“Brotherly duties?” questioned Hermione, a hint of teasing in her voice.

“Yeah, hopefully, none of the others feel the same sense of duty,” the wizard chuckled, sitting in his chair and conjuring his own ice-pack to ice his sore nose. “How did the interrogation go? Get any new info?”

“If you can even call it that,” she replied, rubbing her forehead in frustration, “It seems that that new tip is holding true. MacNair shared that willingly. Seamed proud of it too,” a scoff passing her lips.

Harry hummed his agreement. The growing frustration of this case was impossible to overstate. “Did he give any details as to where they’re meeting? Or anything about Greyback?”

“Unfortunately, no. Not yet at least. I’m sending a request to Kingsley to have him administered veritaserum.”

“How long do you think that’s going to take?”

“Can’t take more than a day or two, I don’t think,” Hermione looked over at Harry, “What about you? Any news about Greyback? That might help us figure out where they’re meeting.”

The raven-haired wizard shook his head. “No permanent location or anything of that sort. All of the teams I’ve sent out have come back empty-handed.”

Running a hand through his lengthening hair, making a mental note to cut it soon, he flipped through the open files on his desk. “God he’s such a pain in my arse,” the wizard exclaimed, letting his frustration course through him. 

“Try living with the man assigned to his case, that’s a nuisance,” Hermione teased, shooting him a wink as she opened her newly claimed case files.

As ticked off as he was with the case, the wizard couldn’t stop his lips from twisting into a small smirk. “Well you’re no galvanizer yourself,” he retorted. Hermione’s only response was to stick out her tongue at him.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“You going to tell me what happened to your nose?” Andromeda questioned. The three of them, her, Harry, and Teddy were crammed into a booth at a local wizarding joint, modelled after muggle dinners. They had already ordered and were now awaiting their food.

“Brother-in-law found out about the divorce,” laughter slipped through Harry’s tone.

“And you’re completely okay with this?”

“He’s my best mate, we have an understanding.”

“Well, I’m surprised at how…at ease you are with everything,” Andromeda noted.

“What do you mean?” Harry questioned, watching his Godson colour in his kids’ menu.

With Harry’s hectic schedule, they had decided that meeting for dinner was their best chance at meeting up sooner. Teddy was busy marking up the kids’ menu with different crayon colours, concentrating awfully hard for a dinosaur drawing. 

Harry chuckled as Teddy’s hair changed from colour to colour, depending on which crayon he was using.

Andromeda smiled at the two before answering, “Well, you have so much on your plate.”

Harry nodded his head in agreement, thinking about the pile of work he still had to complete.

“But, you’re not cracking.” The woman tilted her head, as though trying to read his thoughts or to see through him. “Since you’ve told me about the divorce I’ve been waiting for you to come knocking on my door, wanting to move in. Or, at least, have you rant about everything to me in one of your letters. But, I’ve got nothing.”

“Do you want me to start ranting now? Cause there’s a lot of work that I could start complaining about,” Harry chuckled, humoured by Andromeda’s odd anticipations. 

“Uncle Harry! Look at my dinosaur!” exclaimed Teddy in excitement, “Look at all the colours I used!” The boy proudly showed off his multi-colour t-rex, holding up the menu right in front of Harry’s nose, his excitement causing him to visibly shake.

“That’s awesome! Way to go bud!” Harry praised his godson, both of them beaming with joy.

“You can keep it!” declared the, now, vibrant-purple-haired boy. “You can show it to Aunt Ginny when you get home!”

Harry’s smile diminished, practically disappearing from his face. The topic of his divorce never caused him hurt or sadness, but realizing that Teddy would have to learn about uncertain love was heartbreaking.

Andromeda quickly took over, “Bear, honey, we talked about this remember? Uncle Harry and Aunt Ginny no longer live together. They decided that it was better for them to be apart, remember?”

Teddy’s little face lost its happy glow as he remembered.

“But you’ll still be able to see her!” Harry remarked shaking himself from his stupor, “I would love to take it home with me! You just have to sign it; all artists sign their masterpieces!”

Teddy’s attention was soon focused on his attempt to write his name. 

Looking over at Andromeda, Harry gave her a thankful smile. Just as she went to bring back up their previous topic, the waiter was placing their orders down in front of them. Deciding to save the serious questions for late, they all dug into their food and began questioning Teddy about his new teacher. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

“I stand corrected,” Andromeda stated. They had just finished putting Teddy down to bed when Andy decided this was their time to talk. Together, they walked down the stairs towards the kitchen. 

“Well,” Harry began, “I guess with everything that’s been happening, I don’t really have time to sit and talk about it. Mostly I’ve just been trying to get everything that needs to get done, done.”

Accepting his response, the witch nodded and moved towards the cupboards to grab herself a glass. “But you must be talking to someone about it,” she pressed, filling her glass with water.

“I mean, kind of, I guess. I’ve been talking a lot with Hermione about everything. I mean, we’re, technically, living together, so she’s the most accessible person. Plus, she understands what I’m talking about, especially when it comes to any work issues.”

Leaning himself against the long wooden table, Harry continued. “Mostly though, she just gets me. Not just the situation, but for me. It doesn’t matter what topic it is, she knows what I need to hear, even if it isn’t always what I want to hear.”

Andy smiled at Harry’s small confession, wondering if he knew how much Hermione was holding him together. “Don’t forget to thank her, alright?” she smirked, “When you have someone in your life like that, you need to hold onto them.”

“I kind of figured,” the wizard replied smiling. “It’s weird, even though I had a wife, someone who I was supposed to be able to share everything with, I have never felt more comfortable or secure talking with anyone like I do with Hermione. It’s as though I’m just remembering how great of a friend she is.”

Looking at Andy, he smiled softly. Not with his lips, she noticed, but with his eyes. Taking a sip of her water, she tried to figure out what the change was…They looked lighter, as though his burden wasn’t quite as heavy, even with everything he had going on. Of course, she thought. Andromeda smiled back in a way that made it seem as though she was trying to figure something out about him, or whether or not he knew something. 

“What? What is it?” Harry questioned, “Do I have something on my face?” rubbing his hands over his face to remove whatever it was.

“No, you’re fine,” Andromeda replied, still giving him that look, “it’s just, do you know…of never mind, you wouldn’t.”

Harry was confused, “Know what?”

“It’s nothing, forget I mentioned anything.” The witch gave him a reassuring, normal, smile. “Now, I’m getting tired and you have a full day of work tomorrow, so it’s best if you get home. Send me an owl if next weekend doesn’t work for you.” 

Not bothering to disagree, Harry gave her a quick peck on her cheek and apparated back to Hermione’s flat. 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

A quiet pop alerted Hermione of Harry’s return.

“Hermione?” Harry called out.

“In the study!” the witch called back. She was busy making a mind map of all of the information she had on Luscious Malfoy and the Underground Gatherings, and how the two were connected. Her map didn’t show much, but her gut was telling her there were more. 

If only…no. Maybe…that might work. What if… Hermione’s thoughts trailed off, trying to come up with possible links. 

“Don’t fail me now gut, she muttered out loud to herself as she drew a red line, connecting two names, hoping that it would be an actual lead. 

“Find anything?” Harry’s voice carried from the doorway.

“Maybe,” she sighed. “How were Teddy and Andy? Anything new with them?” turning away from her board, Hermione ran her fingers through her untameable curls. 

“Teddy has officially started grade one of muggle school, oddly enough. I’m surprised you were able to convince Andy to let him go, considering how much he changes his hair. But, she was proud to inform me that he’s gotten into the habit of sticking to one colour a day unless he’s concentrating on colouring, then it just doesn’t stop.” Harry chuckled at the memory. Looking at Hermione’s board, he walked forward, grabbing her marker, and started making other connective lines. 

“I’m glad he’s going,” Hermione smiled. “I miss that little bugger. I can’t wait until he visits.” Turning, Hermione stared at the board with Harry. 

“Yeah, he’s pretty excited to be coming too,” Harry looked down at his partner, giving her a soft smile. 

Hermione shot back a small smile, yet quickly taking back her marker and focusing her attention on her files. Well, whatever attention she could muster; all of her thoughts were about how her stomach should not be filled with butterflies, and that Harry needed a friend, not a new lover, and she was insane for feeling this way. 

The two were standing side by side, shoulders brushing occasionally as one would sway lightly on their feet. Hermione felt herself relax as the familiarity of working with Harry set in, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t stop the butterflies from dancing ever so softly in her stomach.


	7. Chapter 7

It had been several days since Harry and Hermione had, to no avail, spent their witching hours in the home study trying to find a lead for Hermione’s case. The lack of leads frustrated Hermione, she knew that she had to find something soon before the case went cold and Lucius got away. Tired of waiting for the response to her veritaserum request, Hermione made her way towards the Minister’s office; her footsteps agile and light against the ever-clean, glistening tiled floors.

‘Ms. Granger!’ exclaimed Kingsley’s secretary, with a bright smile. He was a tall, East-Asian wizard who was interning with the Ministry as Kingsley’s secretary for the summer months. ‘What can I do for you this morning?’

‘Zeid – yes – I was hoping to speak with Kinsgley sometime soon. Is he in?’ Hermione tugged at her tightly tied ponytail, trying to gain control over her curls.

Zeid smiled at Hermione’s antics. ‘Yes, let me just see if I can find some time for you later today.’ He turned to look through Kingsley’s schedule. 

‘No, I mean soon, soon – as in now. Is he in a meeting right now?’ Hermione emphasized, pointing towards the Minister’s door.

‘Well, no but-’

‘Great!’ Hermione cut the man off, smiling at him while pushing her way into Kingsley’s office.

‘Ah, Ms. Granger! I didn’t know we had an appointment this morning!’ Kinsgley stood up from his desk; the witch standing in front of him, the large oak door slamming behind her.

‘We don’t’ said Hermione. ‘I sent a request days ago for an administration of versitaserum to MacNair, but I have yet to hear back from you. MacNair’s tracker keeps flickering on and off, so I need to know now before we lose him.’

Kinsgley made his way around his desk, a confused look adorning his face. ‘You sent a request?’ 

‘Yes…the request was sent about 5 days ago…’ Hermione said, with an inquiring look.

‘Zeid!’ Shacklebolt called out.

‘Yes, Minister.’ The assistant said, peeking his head through the door.

‘Did you ever get a request for veritaserum from the Auror department?’ 

‘No, sir.’ Replied the wizard, ‘But I can always double check if you want?’

‘If you could.’ Kinsgley motioned for the wizard to go with a nod.

‘I am positive I sent one along; I made sure to give it to Amelia when she sent a request form for a new partner’ Hermione insisted. 

Shacklebolt gave Hermione a reassuring smile, ‘I am sure you did. Unfortunately, I never received your request. I did receive Amelia’s though.’

Hermione grunted.

‘Do I have permission or no? I don’t have much time to waste with this case’ questioned Hermione firmly. 

‘No form!’ Zeid burst into the office.

Hermione raised her eyebrow questioningly at Kingsley, who was now back behind his desk. 

Letting out a sigh, he reached for a quill and a piece of parchment.

‘Give this to Rochester at the potions’ department, he will supply you with a small vile. Floo me when you’re about to begin the interrogation, I want to be there watching.’ He handed Hermione the parchment with permission for the serum and his signature on it, then turned to Zeid. ‘Zeid make sure you find that request form, I want to know what happened to it. Check with Amelia first, she was the one who was supposed to turn it in.’

Nodding at the both of them, the two took it as their cue to leave. 

‘I am so sorry about the form,’ Zeid apologized to Hermione as they walked through the door, ‘I am positive I never had it though. Auror requests are top priority and I would have remembered having it.’

‘Don’t worry about it, but if you can’t find it anywhere let me know. Forms don’t just go disappearing around here,’ Hermione remarked, ‘Especially ones that are tied to high profile cases.’ 

Zeid nodded in agreement.

…………………

The letter was straightforward enough; the court date was set for two weeks from tomorrow and he was responsible for providing evidence-based reasons for the divorce. The same was expected of Ginny, except she was providing evidence for a separation. Sighing in acceptance, Harry set the letter beside the one he had just finished writing. Work was hectic, but both Harry and Hermione had been able to book off the upcoming weekend to take care of Teddy, and the almost finished letter was confirmation of pickup time. 

 

We’ll be by around 7 o’clock Friday night to pick Teddy up. If you want to have him in his pyjamas before we arrive, that is up to you. Let know  
what time you want to pick him up on Sunday.

All the best,  
Harry

PS. Tell Teddy that his masterpiece looks terrific on Hermione’s fridge  
H.

An owl waited patiently for Harry to seal the letter and tie it to its leg, only letting out a screech of discontent when Harry forgot to give it a treat before sending it on its way.

‘Sheesh, you birds are so particular’ Harry teased, holding out a treat to the barn owl. Nibbling his finger in thanks, the owl flew out the open window. 

‘fwwp’ the green flames of the floo fireplace suddenly lit up, and out stumbled a queasy Ronald Weasley. 

‘Mate! You alright?!’ Harry exclaimed, jumping from his chair to aid Ron. 

‘I think I’m going to be sick…’ Ron mumbled, leaning over to hold on to Hermione’s desk. 

‘Shit, mate. What happened?’ Harry questioned, silently summoning his garbage bin over to the sick wizard. 

‘Belch’ Harry looked away as Ron emptied the contents of his stomach into the bin. Except, bile wasn’t what left Ron’s mouth.  
‘The fuck?’

Harry looked back at Ron’s remark.

‘Slugs?! Blimey hell!’ Ron spits slime into the bin, confusion washing over the wizards. 

‘What in Merlin’s name happened to you?’ Harry asked firmly.

Five more slugs passed Ron’s lips before he answered.

‘I was on my way to the shop to see George when someone ran into me. – belch – Once the bastard passed me, I got hit by a – belch – charm – belch – in the back. Bloody bastard must have hit me with that fucking – belch –’ Ron didn’t finish his sentence, putting his head back down to the bin. 

Harry shuddered in disgust, ‘You stay here mate, I’m going to run down to the Magical Accidents and Catastrophes department to see if they have anything to make this stop’ 

Giving Ron’s back a pat, Harry left for the Accidents department.

…………………

Making his way towards the department, Harry thought about who could have hit Ron with the charm, and why. Deep in thought, he barely noticed the witch walking his way. Focused on his thoughts, Harry didn’t look up until he collided with the oncoming witch. 

‘Harry!’

‘’Mione!’ 

The two looked at each other, startled.

‘Why weren’t you looking where you were going?’ Hermione questioned.

‘Why weren’t you?’ Harry retorted, teasingly. 

Hermione chuckled.

‘Touché.’

‘Why were you so distracted,

‘I’m on my way to go pick MacNair back up; I finally got permission to use veritaserum.’ Hermione ran her hand through her hair, her eyebrows knit together, ‘apparently, my request form was lost somewhere along its way to Kingsley, so I had to go ask him personally.’ 

Harry shot Hermione a confused look ‘What do you mean ‘lost’? Things like that don’t just get lost?’

‘That’s what I said!’ Exasperation leaking through Hermione’s tone. ‘I’m going to look into it later today, but I can’t right now. MacNair’s tracker is flickering on and off, so I have to go get him while I still know where he is.’

‘First a missing form and now a flickering tracker…blimey ‘Mione, it’s like you’re cursed!’ Harry tried to joke.

‘Don’t start, Potter.’ Hermione said tersely, lightly hitting him on the side of his arm. 

Harry gave her a bright smile.

‘Go, get your man!’ He urged, lightly pushing her towards the direction of their office, ‘Don’t mind the office though, Ron’s in their puking up slugs.’

Stopping in her tracks, the witch looked back at Harry.

‘Slugs?!’ She exclaimed. ‘As in second-year-mishap, throwing up slugs?!’

Harry chuckled, ‘Yeah, exactly like that. I’m on my way to see if the Accidents department can give me an antidote.’ 

Hermione shook her head in disbelief.

‘Did he and George duel?’

‘No, I wish. Apparently, someone hit him with the charm when he was on his way to Wheeze’s.’ Harry exclaimed.

‘Merlin’s beard,’ Hermione let out another sigh. ‘Alright, I’ll stop by the office to check on Ron but I have to leave the minute MacNair’s tracker lights up.’

‘You’re the best, ‘Mione.’ Harry remarked, pecking her on the cheek.

…………………

That night, Harry and Ron were at the flat, trying to childproof everything, while Hermione was on the field in charge of bringing MacNair in for more questioning. 

Ron, having taken an antidote hours before and was feeling significantly better, was busy trying to nail a safety latch on to one of the kitchen cupboards.

‘Blimey hell! Why the fuck is this so bloody difficult!’ Ron barked out, after hitting his thumb for the umpteenth time with the hammer. 

‘Why can’t we just use our wands?!’ He snapped.

Harry chuckled from the fridge, where he was installing his own safety latches.

‘We’re living in a muggle oriented neighbourhood, Ron.’ Harry explained teasingly, ‘Hermione doesn’t want us to use magic here, unless we're apparating to and from work.’

Finally hammering in the safety latch, Ron slammed the cupboard door closed with excessive force. 

‘But we’re inside! It’s not like someone’s going to come wandering in at any second!’

Harry shrugged in agreement.

‘Why don’t we just use our wands now! It’s not like Hermione’s home, she’d never know!’ Ron suggested, after hitting his thumb once more.

The two wizards looked at one another, contemplating the idea.

‘Nah.’ They said at the same time.

‘It’s Hermione, she’d know.’ Harry said.

‘She knows everything.’ Ron added. 

The flat wasn’t a remarkably large flat, but it was large enough that the two wizards had their work cut out for them trying to childproof everything. So far, every corner on every countertop, every table, and every ledge have been covered in foam, all toilets had latches on them, medicine and chemicals had been moved to higher shelves, and anti-scalding devices were applied to all faucets. 

‘Do you think she’ll notice?’ Harry questioned.

‘Notice what?’ Ron looked over to where Harry had begun adding safety latches to the lower cupboards.

‘The hammer-head-sized hole in her cupboard?’ 

Ron looked at Harry, disbelief in his eyes. 

‘You didn’t…’ 

In response, Harry just opened the cupboard door more so that Ron could see the damage.

‘Mate…’ Ron let out in sympathy, but with laughter slipping through.

‘Well,’ Harry gulped, ‘better to ask forgiveness than to ask permission.’ 

Taking out his wand, Harry cast reparo. 

‘In that case.’ Ron took out his wand and cast a quick charm. Soon, all of the safety latches were properly installed and the flat was properly child-proofed.


End file.
